The research project was developed in the community houses of the national
Institute of Family Welfare (ICBF, its Spanish acronym) in the Department of
Cauca, Colombia. The project’s principal objective was to conduct an initial
diagnosis for a proposal on the social marketing of two biofortified crops—maize
and common beans—in institutions and food-security programs in Cauca.
The research was quantitative, qualitative, and descriptive. Data triangulation,
involving different sources of information, was used to describe the market for
maize and beans from different standpoints and preferences. The municipalities
where the surveys were conducted were selected through variable-crossing
among the 42 municipalities that form the Department of Cauca.
Results yielded important data on preferences and average consumption,
preferences for preparation, and the principal products used to substitute maize
and beans. Moreover, the results indicated that maize and beans are significant
ingredients in the Caucan diet, translating into high acceptance by consumers.
Both crops are part of traditional cropping systems, thus indicating that most
producers are small and medium-scale farmers.
The marketing plan was designed to encompass, at first, 20% of the niches
identified in one year, with a possibility of increasing over time, as both
biofortified crops have the potential to replace non-biofortified maize and
common beans. However, the area available in the Department of Cauca is
limited, which makes reaching 100% of the market unlikely.
Interinstitutional cooperation between CIAT, ICBF, and the Cauca Secretariat is
key to the population adopting biofortified maize and beans. These institutions can provide monitoring, agricultural technical assistance, and effective product
delivery to that part of the infant population suffering from micronutrient
malnutrition.